Comedy news: Channel Four's lazy list is a comedy of errors

Asking people to pick a favourite is always a contentious affair. Whether it is a film, a song, or even something as banal as a laundry detergent, people's opinions on what they hold dear can be tetchy affairs.

So it comes as no surprise that when Channel 4 announced that it is to rehash its list of 'The Top 100 Comedians of All Time' there would be a heated debate over whoever would be crowned the winner.

Check out Channel 4's list of top 100 comic's here

However what Channel 4 couldn't have expected is that they would be inundated with a furore before voting had even started. The TV channel has managed to spark the ire of fans and comedians alike after it was revealed that the channel had cherry-picked the comedians which would be included in the poll.

Since the competition was announced earlier this week the bulletin board for the poll has been bombarded by fans asking why many top contemporary stand-ups haven't been included on the bill.

An example of how glaring the omissions are is the fact that four Edinburgh Comedy Award winner's; Brendan Burns, Phil Nichol and Rich Hall and David O'Doherty don't even make it onto the list.

Speaking to Such Small Portions, Burns said: “It's difficult to comment on things like this without looking like you harbour sour grapes, but I won an Eddie (Edinburgh Comedy Award) for live stand up so I feel it's a shame that Britain seems to hold it's own award in such contempt.

"By omitting me and every other winner in that time frame and including people that have barely performed live in years (excluding dead legends of course) just sends out such a loud signal of "Fuck you. Don't bother" To everyone that busts their arse writing and honing their art year in/year out and it saddens me."

"It can be easy to dismiss the list as 'just another list' but there is no doubt that 'top ten's' or 'best five's' or 'top 100' lists are popular with the public and industry alike. With this in mind there is more than just reputation at stake and whether they like it or not comedians do pay attention; Stewart Lee even based a show - 41st best stand up in the world – on the previous list that Channel 4 produced and even though he may have mocked the very idea of being on the list, Lee vindicated it by devoting enough attention to it to make a show on it.

With this in mind, the fact that Channel 4 issued a closed list of nominated comedians (there are only 106 on the nominated list) for it's rehashed version of the Top Comedian's poll becomes more striking for the potential effect it can have on those who are / are-not on it.

The problem I have with Channel 4's list is the issue of control. From start to finish I get the impression that the public have very little real say in the decision making as, even though a particular comedian may win the popular vote, the actual decision rests with the panel of judges that the channel have hired to make the final decision. As far as I can tell, no-one knows who these judges are, they are just 'experts'.

The way the list is being structured makes me suspicious that - if one was so inclined - it would be easy to push an agenda onto the public which may allow a 'TV friendly' or other type of comedian a chance to take a prominent place on the list, enjoy some generous air-time on a prime-time TV channel - and enjoy all the industry benefits that this would bring. The commerical pressure for manipulating this list is enourmous - which is why it is vital that it is unbiased and as transparent as possible.

What I would hope is that Channel 4 make the list open and restore confidence in their own poll by allowing talent to get voted through without being subjected to an ill-thought-out screening process in the first place.

Tim Clark